The Gentleman in the Club
by TheModernLeper
Summary: The team tracks a serial killer to a popular night club. With Brennan as bait, can Booth and the team keep her from becoming his next victim? A little suspenseful and of course some B&B actions. Disclaimer: I don't own any characters. Reviews are good .
1. Chapter 1

The music in the club was loud enough for Bones to feel from the top of her head to the soles of her shoes. She maneuvered her way through the crowd of pulsating bodies towards the bar.

"A dry martini, two olives please," she said to Booth.

He nodded to her, acknowledging her presence and her drink order. His eyes darted to the end of the bar, where a man of about 35 was seated with darty eyes that were scanning the bar. They fell upon Bones, lingered for a beat, and then went back to the drink he was nursing in front of him. Booth, dressed as an unassuming bartender, gave Bones her martini and the whole process has taken less than 30 seconds. But Booth held her gaze as she paid for the drink, giving him a handsome tip much to Booth's chagrin, and they both knew that their trap had been laid.

She downed her drink, making sure the man at the bar saw her, and felt the liquor burn her throat and settle her nerves. She slinked back to the dance floor and moved to the music, all the while making sure she was in the eye line of their target. Before her and the team had entered the club she had wondered if the silver sequined cocktail dress had been a bit much, but when she saw Booth do a double take (hell, even Angela had done a double take) she knew it would work just fine. And judging from the amount of attention the target was paying her, she decided the dress was a wise choice. There was a slowly forming line to get drinks as the bartender seemed decidedly distracted. Brennan felt a large hand on the small of her back and gave a barely noticeable jump.

"Refill that drink for you darlin'?" asked the target, a Mr. RJ Lefleur, of Mobile, Alabama. Brennan plastered on a flirtatious grin and merely nodded. She was holding down the vomit that had threatened to escape as she thought of just what this man had done. Over the past 3 months her team had been tracking down a serial killer who had left a trail of 20-30 year old female victims who were left with literally nothing but their skin and bones. All major organs were removed, and the blood drained. Each corpse was left with a simple note: _The whore died the way she lived._

The 6 victims had all been tracked back to the same club on the night they died, Aqueous. The club manager was rich enough to keep the club's name out of the paper, giving the killer a steady stream of girls to choose from.

Zach had managed to find the exact blade used to slice open the girls' limbs. The blade had a trademark edge pattern belonging to a family owned knife company in Alabama. Booth had connected the local police force only to find that they had one unsolved murder with a similar MO to their killer. The victim was named Janine LeFleur, sister of RJ. She was a well-known party girl in town, but also the mother of 3 children. Instead of taking custody of the kids, RJ had mysteriously decided to leave town and had made his way up the coast to DC.

From what Brennan could tell he chose 1 to 2 girls a month, often scantily clad, bought them a drink laced with a colorless and odorless drug, and took them back to an abandoned mental hospital on the outskirts of town for his own special brand of _operation. _His motive didn't matter to Brennan, only that he was stopped. So she had donned her shortest dressed, teased her hair in a way she hoped she would never have to replicate, and thrown on her highest heels. The combination of the three had landed their perp, and the lower body blood flow of half the men in the room.

She held her grin as she put her lips to the drink LeFleur had just offered her. This was the part that caused her stomach to do a back flip. She had no choice but to take the drink, and leave her fate in the hands of Booth and hidden FBI team outside. She downed the drink and swallowed so fast it barely had time to touch her tongue. LeFleur watched the drink go down and flashed bright white smile.

"Well darlin', looks like this is gonna be one helluva night!" he said with a laugh. _You have no idea _thought Brennan, never letting her face betray her.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: So I thought I'd do a chapter a day but then I was bored to that's what led to this chapter. Also, apologies for the crap load of errors I found in my first chapter. You can read something a thousand times and not find anything wrong with it, then you read it an hour later and that's all you see.**

The drugs hit Brennan quickly. All of a sudden her brain felt too big for her head, and her body too heavy for her legs. She saw the room upside down and right side up at the same time, like when you've got the flu and don't realize you're dehydrated until the moment before you pass out. Hodgins had warned her of the drugs effect, so she took this all in stride. She simply took a deep breath and started to list the Fibonacci sequence in her head, an old stress technique she'd adopted early in life.

All the while Booth kept one eye trained on her, serving drinks and barely stopping to check if he was giving the right change. He knew what would happen when she took that drink. His whole body wanted to run to the end of the bar and slap it out of her hands. But he stayed still, knowing they needed to catch him in the act to solidify their case. He saw her sway slightly a moment after she took the drink, but only for a moment. _God, she is stronger than any woman I know. _He saw RJ run a hand up and down here bare back, left uncovered by her dress, and his whole body tensed. He clenched his fist, nearly breaking the glass in his hand. But Brennan just smiled at him, and leaned against the bar.

"Why don't we get on outta here? Go someplace a little more quiet?" asked the man from the south.

Nobody would have known what he was capable of just from looking at him. A pair of black slacks and matching shiny boots. A white shirt, pressed and buttoned to the collar. Hair slicked back, his whole body smelling of some nice after-shave. None of the victims would have guessed. They all thought they'd landed some nice southern gentleman. When the booze hit their throats, they thought it was just a strong drink. When they were led to his car, they thought they were headed back to his apartment, maybe a hotel. But then his car was driving out of the city, out of the county, towards Virginia. Traffic got light, trees got thicker, and the panic set in. But by that time the drugs were in full effect, their bodies almost paralyzed, their minds fully awake.

All of this passed through Bone's mind as she leaned against the bar. She looked into his big blue eyes for a second more and said "Sure."

"Well alrighty then! Follow me." With that he put his hand on her back again and gave her a strong pull towards the door.

He knew what effects the drugs would be having, though he was surprised by how composed she was staying. He knew it wouldn't be long. He'd given her the regular dose, and her system would yield soon enough. Despite what most people thought when they heard his accent, South didn't mean stupid. He'd gone to med school for three years before getting kicked out for _behavioral issues_. That's how he knew what drugs to give thegirls. He'd removed enough organs from cadavers that using live specimens didn't make much difference to him. Draining them of blood was required nothing more then the cutting of a few choice veins and arteries. He had them dying the way they lived: hollow, empty, and dressed as the sluts they were.

He looked over at Brennan, raking his eyes over her body. _I'm gonna enjoy this one,_ he thought. He tossed a twenty at the bartender, telling him to keep the change. He saw the bartender give a longing look to the woman, _the whore_, on his arm and he smiled to himself. He was walking out of here with the best looking woman in the place and they'd never see her walk back in. That was the perk of picking the best looking women for his little projects: nobody ever gave him the second glance. It was the women their eyes stayed glued to. _How ironic,_ he would think to himself at times,_ they finally get the attention they wanted and its what's gonna keep their killer in business. _Oh the irony wasn't lost on him for even a moment.

He led her around the crowd and out a small side door most didn't even know was there. His car was sitting there waiting, keys in the ignition. He opened the door for her, held her hand as she slid into the passenger's seat, always the gentleman. They pulled away from the club and into the DC traffic. He never looked behind him, never saw the black SUV pull out a minute later, never saw Booth in the driver's seat.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Third chapter, not a ton of action yet but it's coming I promise. I may pull out another by later tonight. And if I haven't already said so, I'm not lucky enough to own any of these characters. Also the rating is probably gonna be going up on the next couple chapters. Just so you're warned.** Bones sat quietly in the front seat of the killer's car. She had already begun to lose feeling

in her hands and feet and she knew she had only a few minutes left in which her body would still belong to herself.

"Where are we going exactly?" she said, placing stress in her voice. She couldn't let on that she saw any of this coming.

"Well darlin', seeing as by now you probably couldn't move your hand to open that door even if you wanted to, there ain't no real harm in letting you know that we're headed towards the place where you're gonna be shufflin' lose the mortal coil." Her face must have seemed puzzled, though she was going for scared.

"What? Don't like that particular euphemism? How about…join the greater number, bought the farm, to blink for an excessively _large _amount of time? Baby girl, you signed your own death warrant the moment shook that fine ass at me in the club." His whole body was rocking with laughter, and Bones was close to telling him to watch the road. Booth could stop her from getting killed at the hospital but he couldn't stop her from getting driven into a ditch.

"Why?" choked out Bones. She could barely move her lips.

"God you remind of Janine," he murmured, offering no explanation to the name, "You have any idea what it's like to have your sister be the town slut? To have her passed around between the guys you went to school with? Her kids are better off without her. I spared them from a future of living with the town whore for a mother! People should be thankin' me for what I'm doing. Ain't no fuckin' decency left in this world. Just look at you. Ass and tits hangin' out of that dress, make up painted on, lookin' like you were gonna jump the bartender back in the club. You think the world's gonna _miss_ you? You think this world is gonna be any worse off without you? Uh uh girly. I'm doin' the world a favor." His true colors were showing now. His words, as misplaced as they were on her, slapped and whipped at her, leaving her on the verge of tears. She knew the fear those girls would have held in their final moments. It was like some new area of reality had been opened to her and she would have given anything to slam it shut again.

"Well here we are," RJ announced, pulling the car up in front of the abandoned mental hospital, "There's something I've always wondered about people…if a person really knew when they were gonna die…like the exact moment…if they would start counting up their lasts." Bones looked at him quizically, or she would have if she could move her face. "You know what I mean," he continued, "like the last time they'd hug their parents, the last time they'd eat their favorite food, last time they'd see their favorite movie, all the shit they'd never do again." He stopped and looked down at her, "Well to feed my own curiosity, I'm gonna tell you what to start counting." He had walked out of the car, pulled her from her seat, and was dragging her towards the entrance, "This is the last time you're ever gonna see the stars, go ahead and get a good look. This is the last time you'll ever feel the night's air on your face. This is the last night you'll ever get dolled up for a night of whoring yourself out on the town. Never again, no ma'am, never again!" He had kicked open the door, and was dragging her down a long tiled corridor. He tossed her into a large operating room at the end of the hallway. Inside there was a large metal table with leather straps hanging off the side. A single light bulb cast shadows and light around the room, and a tray of metal instruments (most of which Bones recognized, had used even) was laid out beside the table.

"Welcome home darlin'! Why don't we get a lil more comfortable?" the killer asked with a smile.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N OK so I made this one a little longer for the sake of the big climax. I really hope you guys think this works with the other parts of the story. Some feedback would be great. Enjoy.**

LeFleur picked up Brennan's small frame and tossed her on the table. It hurt like hell for her, though the pain was relative considering what he planned to do to her. He threw the straps over her legs, midsection, and shoulders. Brennan could feel their heavy weight press down on her, and her adrenaline jolted. She lay completely still, the drug leaving her barely able to blink her eyes. Her heart still beat, her lungs filled with air, but other then those instincts all she had left was her mind. She would be the sole witness to her own murder, other then the killer himself, never sounding out with more than a whimper.

With the straps in place RJ began to whistle to himself as he wheeled over the metal table of surgical tools and looked them over, the way a 10-year-old might look might look at the windows of a toy store.

"Well now, first thing first. We're gonna have to get those clothes off of you!" With that he picked up a large pair of scissors and placed them at the neckline of her dress. He began to cut downward, the cold metal of the instrument grazing her skin every time he opened them. With only four cuts, maneuvered around the straps of course, she was left with nothing but her panties and the shoulder strap to cover her. She felt cold air and metal touch her body, and a single tear fell from the corner of her eye.

"Now that's much better," sighed RJ. His eyes were glued to her body and all Bones could do was close her eyes and let her mind take her someplace else. Behind her eyes, she was sitting in her favorite diner, debating Booth over her odd dislike of pie. She was sitting in a bar after work with Angela, Hodgins with his arm slung around her shoulder. She was teaching Zach a new method of reversing shatter patterns on skull fractures. She was dancing to Foreigner with Booth in her apartment, letting herself relax, both of them air guitaring in the cheesiest way possible (though, she thought to herself, there probably is no respectable way to air guitar). She was anywhere but here, some place safe next to Booth. _Please come soon. Please Booth I need you to be here._ He had never let her down on the times she didn't know he was coming to her rescue, she could only have faith in the time she was sure he would come.

The sound of metal clanking against metal brought her back to reality, and she realized RJ was putting back the scissors and turning to face her again.

"You know, I've done this 7 times now, countin' my sister of course, and I never did decide which order I like this to happen in. Now I could get right into the dirty stuff: slice you open from the center of the collar bone all the way done to your pelvis, filet you rubs open with a wedge, and start clearing you out of everything that you could ever possibly need to live. You wouldn't die right away. You'd probably go in to shock once the pain sets in, pass out, and never wake up again. But that makes the blood harder to drain if you're already dead. No, I think we'll start with the blood. You can watch it all drain out, all the while knowing what I'm gonna do to you once you slip away." He gave this whole speech while stroking her forehead, looking straight into her eyes.

She wanted nothing more then to pull away from his hand. She wanted Booth and the whole cavalry to bust through that door and shoot the creep one hundred times, just to be sure he was dead. But above that even, she had the most basic human desire in the front of her mind: _I don't want to die._

RJ spun on his heel and reached over to the table, coming back with a shiny scalpel. She could see the blade glint in the light, and pure fear flooded her mind. RJ was looking her over, as if having some internal battle over where to begin. As though she'd said so aloud RJ spoke up.

"Well I think I'm going to go with the classic technique on this one." With that he pulled up her arm to face palm up, her flesh pale under the stark light. He was breathing rapidly, pure excitement blazing in his eyes.

He pressed the blade near the center of her wrist and in the next instant pure fire erupted from her arm. It didn't stop, running itself to the crook of her elbow, burning slowly allowing her too feel every moment of it. She had hoped the paralytic drug she'd been given would have had some small effect on the feeling of any cuts he made but she was wrong. She could barely scream; only a series of grunts and whimpers coming from her clenched mouth. The blood was flowing freely and quickly from her arm, pooling on the table. She knew that in mere minutes she would lose consciousness and minutes after that she would be dead.

All she could think to herself was _He didn't get here in time, he didn't come._ Tears fell from her eyes and the edges of her vision began to blur. She could hear nothing, feel nothing, but the fire that was raging on her arm. She never heard the door come crashing down, Booth's voice yelling _FREEZE, _or even the gun shot that rang out next to her. She never heard a southern gentleman's voice whisper a final "oh shit" before her crumpled to the ground.

The last thing she knew before she slipped out of consciousness was a man standing over her, her mind unable to connect his name to his face, grabbing her shoulders, his lips mouthing the same word over and over again. _No. No. No._


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: So this isn't quite as suspenseful as any of the other chapters. But I figured I should offer a few explanations and let Bones and Booth talk about…things. I hope you like it. Reviews are the sincerest form of flattery :]**

The first thing she heard was the steady beeping of a machine by her head. She wanted it to stop, wanted to slip back into the peace and quiet. She did a mental check of her body, flexing and twitching little muscles. When she flexed her right forearm, a burst of pain shot from it. It was throbbing beneath layers of medical wrap, and she decided it was beat to just leave it be. Her head was pounding at a dull roar, and she got the distinct feeling she hadn't moved for a very long time.

That's when bits and pieces started to come back to her: RJ, the hospital, the blade. The whole night was like a running movie in her head, all on fast forward. The last thing she remembered was the man…. Booth?…standing over her. She let out a low groan, and waited for sleep to take her again.  
"Bones?" came a voice from somewhere beside her, " Bones? Hey, come on, talk to me." She felt his hand on her leg, gently shaking it, and she knew it was Booth. She cocked open on of her eyes, just a crack, and the light burned it closed again. "Oh God, sorry," she heard him say, and he pressed a button behind her head. She tested the eye again and found the lights lower. She opened them both and looked up at Booth.

He looked like death warmed over. There were bags the size of quarters beneath his eyes, and for one of the first times in their partnership, she saw him with what appeared to be about 4 days of beard growth on his face. His clothes were wrinkled, hair mussed, and in general gave off an air of sadness. She took this all in and finally spoke. All that came out was a wheeze. Booth shot up and came back a moment later with a small cup of water. He pushed it to her lips, and she drained the cup. When he pulled it back she gave it another shot.

"You were late," she said, the edges of her lips turning upwards. It never crossed her mind to be angry with him. She wouldn't have wanted anyone else by her side when she woke up. But from the look on Booth's face, he had taken those three words to heart.

"I know, I know," he told her, a pleading look in his eyes, "You and LeFleur were the last people over the toll bridge before they pulled it up to let a cargo ship through. I sat there for 8 of the longest minutes of my life, thinking of what he could be doing to you. Knowing you couldn't move, and that you were waiting for me. How stupid is that? We planned for _everything_ that might go wrong and a fucking bridge almost got you killed," he paused, his eyes going from her eyes to her arm and back again, "I am so sorry," his voice cracked on the last word. Bones could feel tears brimming on her eyes.

"Booth, you have nothing to be sorry for. If you hadn't been there, 8 minutes late or not, I would be dead right now. As far as I'm concerned, you came right on time," she was running her hand over his, and a look of calm spread across Booth's face. "What happened? After I passed out? How long have I been here?" she asked. It was killing her not knowing what had happened. Booth paused for a moment, weighing whether or not she needed to know what happened. She was a big girl, he decided, and she deserved to know.

"Well, me and uh, four other agents finally made it to the mental hospital. We came into the room where he was holding you and I told him to freeze. He spun around and had a scalpel in his hand. Technically, he was wielding a deadly weapon, and I took it as grounds to shoot him. I…I didn't even think about it. When he fell down, I could see you on the table, and I thought we'd gotten there in time…but then I saw the…blood." There was a pained expression on his face, and he sat for a minute before continuing. "He had sliced a vein along your right forearm, and you were bleeding so much. I didn't think the EMTs would get there in time. I kept trying to get you to wake up, but you were…gone. They got you to the hospital, and tried to stop the bleeding. They must have given you eight transfusions before they managed to get the cut closed. But you didn't wake up. They weren't sure how much blood had managed to get to your brain while you were out. You've been in a coma for about…10 days." He finished, and looked at her face intently, waiting for her to freak out or start crying. She never did. She sighed, laid back into her pillow, and her face took on an odd look.

"I'm kind of hungry," was all she said. Booth shot up and brought her over a tray of food. He had had a steady supply of food coming for the past week, just in case she woke up. She dug in, ignoring the quality of the hospital food.

"The team is here to see you. You don't have to if you're not ready, but they've been waiting for you to wake up," Booth let the offer hang in the air. Brennan considered it for a moment then nodded her head.  
"Yes. I think I'd like that." She pushed her tray away from her and fell back on her pillow, closing her eyes for a moment.

Booth got up to leave, paused for a moment, and leaned down and placed a kiss on her forehead.

"I'm glad you woke up," he said, and left the room before she could react. He came back in a minute later, followed by Hodgins, Angela, Cam, Zach, and oddly enough, Sweets. Angela was the first by her side, stroking her hair back form her face.

"Oh Sweetie, I say this because I love you, but you look like hell," she smiled and Bones didn't doubt for a second that a ten day coma had left her less then fresh. Hodgins poked his head out from Angela's side and a big grin spread across his face.

"Good to see you up Brennan," he hesitated for a moment giving her an odd look, "Did you want that pudding cup?" he finally asked, pointing towards her half eaten food tray. Angela looked like she was two seconds away from slapping him, but Bones just laughed and pushed the cup towards him. His hands shot out and grabbed it. He chuckled and thanked her.

"Dr. Brennan," came Zach's voice from the back of the group, "It'll be good to have you back at the lab. I prefer explaining things to you as opposed to Cam," he shot Cam an apologetic look, "She's asks me to make far too many assumptions for my liking." He gave a sheepish smile.

"I'll be back as soon as I can Zach, promise," said Brennan, and a look of relief spread over Zach. He really had wanted her to be fine, but expressing things like that wasn't his strong suit. Cam gave Brennan a warm look.

"You're station will be waiting for you as long as you'd like. Take as much time off as you need," she said, expecting she wouldn't want to come back for a while. From the look on Bone's face, she was wrong.

"Oh no, I want to get back as soon as I can. There's no point in me sitting in my apartment for 2 weeks recovering over something I barely remember.

"Any other patient of mine said that, and I'd tell them their crazy and have them switch jobs and go under intense therapy for a month," said Sweets, "But I don't see you doing that Dr. Brennan."

"It's highly doubtful," she agreed.

"Then do me a favor and take this week off at least. And any time you might want to talk about it…please come to me."

As much as Bones frowned upon psychology as a science she could see the sincerity in Sweet's eyes and for his sake, she assured him she would.

"Alright, alright, visiting times over! There's too many people in here and none of you are even family!" hollered a rather large, scary looking nurse. She waved her hands as she scooted them out of the room one by one.

"You're wrong," Bones told her, "They are my family." She smiled over to Booth. "And the tall guy stays."


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I know this has taken forever! I'm sorry! But finals trump the story. Had to prioritize. This isn't much of a chapter but I want to keep the story going.** "I'm driving," called Brennan for the hundredth time. The words were the same but the conviction was gone.

"No you're not. Doctor said no stress for a while and, I'm sorry, but DC traffic counts as stress in my book," Booth shot back, loading her bags into the back of his car.

"You don't need to do all this Booth. I've been awake and active for the past 5 days, more then enough to regain my strength." She knew the argument was pointless, but bickering with Booth was normality for her, and she wanted normality more than anything at that moment.

"Eh, don't worry about it. We're partners. It's some unwritten rule that we help each other. You know, pick up a check, walk their dog, take them home after 10 days in a coma. Give and take Bones. Give and take."

"The partner thing doesn't mean you get to force me into the passenger seat," she countered.

"Hey, if there's an unwritten rule about walking your partner's dog, then there's definitely a written one about a man driving his own car." He snatched the keys from her hand. His expression softened and he placed a hand on her arm. "Please just let me help you out."

Any protest Bones had prepared went out the window. Booth hadn't admitted it, never _would _admit it, but she knew he felt guilty for getting to her as late as he did. She'd never been angry though. She was alive, walking and talking, because of him. That mattered more then anything.

"Fine," she relented. If this was what he needed to do feel better about the whole situation then she wasn't take that from him. His eyes were on her arm, where an angry red line of stitches ran from wrist to elbow. She gently pulled back her arm and got into the car. Booth got in after her and turned on the engine.

They rolled along in silence as they made their way to Brennan's apartment. She closed her eyes and dozed. Days in the hospital made her realize how much time one can kill with a simple nap. Booth kept throwing glance at her, grateful she was resting while she could. He knew she would go back to work as soon as she could, a two-day wait at the most. He had two days to make her take it easy, two days in which he could try to make up for those 8 minutes.

He pulled into her parking building and sat for a minute, debating waking her up and letting her sleep. She decided for them. Her eyes fluttered open and she let out a yawn.

"Hey, we just get here?" she asked, looking around.

"Yeah…you go on up. I can get your bags."

"I'm drawing the line at being barred from carrying a duffel bag." She was already out of the car and pulling open the trunk. They each carried a bag and rode the elevator. When they entered her apartment, Booth decided the most important thing was flopping down on her couch.

"Come on Booth. You've spent the past 5 days doing cafeteria runs at the hospital, you drove me home, and you brought up my bag. The whole partner obligation has definitely been filled."

"Nope, sorry. I'm here to keep you happy, healthy, and away from work. Now please tell you replaced you TV."


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: There's a little drama coming up…a little of everything coming up actually. Hope this update tides you all over.**

"I can't believe you'd never seen Ferris Bueller's Day Off," Booth sighed and rolled out of the dent he had formed in Brennan's couch.

"Well the next time you grow up in foster care, you can tell me how often you get to take in a movie," Brennan countered.

They had just finished their third John Hughes movie. Booth had stocked up after they got back to her apartment. He had done everything short of handcuffing her to the couch to get her to relax and watch them. Within the first 10 minutes though, she was mesmerized. Despite her comments on the ridiculousness of some of the characters, Booth was pretty sure she was getting to see how most teens had spent their lives, 2 parents. Boy troubles, and a huge house in Shermer, Illinois.

Without thinking about it, Brennan rolled her head onto Booth's shoulder and let out a yawn. Not exactly shrugging her off, Booth realized how late it was.

"Come on Bones, you've been up for 14 hours. You need your rest."

"I suppose your right. I'd been hoping to catch up on some of my case files but I don't see that happening now. Not that you had anything to do with it." While Bones may not grasp all social cliches and phrases, she was no stranger to sarcasm.

"Come on. You had a good time, I had a good time, and nobody's arm got sliced open. To me that sounds like a successful day," Booth's eyes fell once again to her cut. Bones pulled herself off of the couch and moved to the kitchen.

"Booth, what happened was an accident. I believe you would call it an 'act of God'. The cut will heal, the stitches will come out tomorrow, and I'll still be alive. To me, _that_ is a successful day. And I owe you the alive part. So quit you can cut out the self inflicted guilt trip any time you'd like." She wished she could take back that last part the moment she said it. She knew how bad he was feeling, but his presence added with his natural tendency to protect her was starting to ware on her. She loved him being around. There were even times she liked knowing that he was always watching over her. But she enjoyed those things because he did. That was how the partnership worked. She didn't want them bonded together by guilt, not if she could help it.

"I know I've been a little over baring since you got out of the hospital, but I just don't like the idea of you being alone after everything that happened. Just let me crash on your couch tonight and after that I'll give you back your apartment. I'll fall asleep at the wheel if I leave now any ways." He was throwing in that last part for effect, but he couldn't deny he was tired. " And in the morning you could come with me to pick up Parker. I figured we'd go down to the park and hang out. He always loves it when you come along." That was the nail in the coffin of Brennan's will power. She loved Parker, and they both knew it.

"Alright, I'll get you some sheets," she relented.

Minutes later Booth was curled up in Brennan's couch, looking like a puppy wrapped in his favorite blanket. Brennan stood there watching him for a minute, thinking about nothing, thinking about everything. She waited till he was snoring softly and bent down, placing a small kiss on his cheek.

He woke up to the sound of her screams.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: OK so I am NERVOUS about this chapter. So just…have an open mind and avoid flames please.**

At first Booth thought he was having a dream, a nightmare maybe. But then his eyes jolted open and the screaming didn't stop. It took him less than a heartbeat to jump from the couch and run to Brennan's room. She was thrashing in her sheets, eyes squeezed shut, her screams going from "STOP" to "NO" to "BOOTH". Booth jumped on to the bed and grabbed her arms, trying to hold her still and wake her up at the same time.

"Bones wake up! I'm here, you're fine!" his heart was pounding and he was praying that she would just wake up.

Her eyes shot open and her screams were cut off in a gasp. Her breathing was heavy and despite her lying in bed, she had enough adrenaline pumping through her veins to run a four-minute mile. She looked around the room, and it dawned on her that she was in her room with Booth next to her. She slid into a sitting position and tried to slow her breathing. She didn't meet Booth's gaze.

"Brennan," he started, trying to keep a calming voice, "What the hell was _that_?" He continued to run his hands up in down her arms, reminding her where she was and who she was with.

"I had a...dream," she shook her head, and Booth couldn't tell if it was to bring the dream back or to make it go away. "Just a dream."

"It was of him wasn't it? This isn't the first one you've had is it?" Booth wasn't angry with her. He couldn't be angry at her for having a dream. He was angry with himself for not noticing something had been wrong. He'd spent a week at the hospital with her, but he never paid attention to how well she was sleeping.

"I've been having them on and off since I woke up from the coma. It doesn't matter. It's just my mind trying to work through it or something," she didn't say it with any conviction, at least none that Booth could hear through her shaking voice.

"Brennan, you don't have to do this. You don't have to act so tough, not after what you went through. I don't know many women who would have done what you did. Even less that would still be standing here afterward. You don't need to carry it by yourself. The fact that it went the way it did is on me. No matter how many times you tell me other wise, I'll always believe that. I have to carry that…you don't."

Tears were pooling at the corner of Brennan's eyes, but her breathing had slowed and the dream, it didn't matter what it had been, was fading. She wiped at the tears and took a breath.

"Thank you," she whispered, "Thank you for being here."

"It's no problem Bones. There is _no_ other place I would rather be than with you." He pushed a few loose strands of hair from her face and traces his fingers along the side of her neck. He held her gaze for what seemed like forever, but was closer to a couple of seconds.

"Booth…" Brennan let out, her voice barely a whisper. She lost whatever else she had planned to say when Booth closed the distance between them and kissed her. It started off small, innocent. But then he didn't pull away, didn't stop. His lips pressed into hers, harder and more passionately then she could have imagined. Like three years of tension was being let loose in a single moment. Without realizing it, without trying to, she responded. Her lips started to hold their own against his. His hands weaved their way through her hair while she wrapped hers around his neck. Her lips parted to hers and she inhaled quickly but didn't stop him. She could taste his breath, smell the soap he used, and she was lost in him. Booth felt as if he was having an out of body experience. He could see the whole thing happening from a birds eye view. But he was there, living it, lost in it. His whole life before and after the kiss didn't exist at that moment. And he was fine with it. His tongue traced her lips and Bones knew that if she had been standing at that moment her knees would have buckled. She could feel Booth speaking through kiss, his lips forming letters: BRENNAN. Her name brought her back to earth and without truly wanting to, she pulled away. They both stared at each other, breathing hard. Booth looked confused, and scared, and like he wanted to kiss her again. Bone's face mirrored hers.

"What was that?" she finally drew up the courage to ask.

"I'm sorry Bones…I shouldn't have…I just…. I don't know," that was all he could come up with.

"Just…stay. We won't…I mean on the couch…just…please be here in the morning," she could barely believe she was saying it, but she wanted it. With all her heart, she wanted him to be there when she woke up. Booth could see that want in her face, and knowing how awkward it would be in the morning, knowing how painful _that_ conversation would be, all he could say was "Yes".


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: OK so you're either gonna love or hate this chapter. Even I haven't decided which. Review it please, so I can get a feeling of how it turned out. And on a side note, I noticed a shit load of grammar errors in the previous chapters. I think I called Booth a 'her' a couple of times, so sorry for that. And there's also a 'Santa in the Slush' reference in this one. Just giving credit where credit is due.**

Booth was wide-awake but he was keeping his eyes closed. He could her Bones shuffling around in the kitchen, making coffee, eating breakfast. If he opened his eyes, he would have to get up. And if he got up, they would have to talk. Any other day Booth would have liked nothing more than to wake up to Brennan in the next room, and to just sit down and talk with her. But after what happened last night, there was a whole big pile of awkwardness waiting for him in the kitchen.

_Come on, this is Brennan. This is your partner. You have been through thick and thin together, and this is just one of those thick times. Or thin? Which one's worse? _Booth had always hated that phrase._ You will go into that kitchen, agree it was a mistake, and accident, and you will move the hell on. _He repeated himself_. This is Brennan. This is your partner. This is the love of your life. _What? NO. That was not where he wanted things to be going. That idea was the Caribbean, and he needed to be headed for Antarctica. But the Arctic led him to cold, which led to blue balls, which led him to last night.

He decided the conversation going on with himself was worse than the conversation he could be having with Brennan, so he sucked it up, opened his eyes, and marched into the kitchen. Brennan was pouring herself some coffee when he walked into. She did a slight jerk when she turned and saw him.

"Hey Bones…" he was starting off brilliantly.

"Booth. I…um…. Good morning," well if he was brilliant, she was a regular Einstein.

"So I guess we should talk about last night," he said, deciding there was no point beating around the bush.

"Yes, I suppose," she had a speech prepared. All she had to do was keep her eyes on her coffee and get through it and they could just move on, "I believe what happened last night came from your natural instinct to protect me. I was admittedly going through a moment of weakness and as I normally rebuff any of you attempts to take the Alpha role in our partnership, you took advantage of a moment where I was open to comfort. NOT that you were, you know, _taking _advantage. You were doing what came naturally to you and I didn't stop you. And that's on me too you know. I didn't pull away, at least not at first. So the blame goes both ways on this. But we have to move on from this. Our partnership is a business one, and it relies on a balance of power and trust. And that balance goes out the window should anything like what happened last night were to happen again. So I think the best course of action is to move on as if it didn't happen. Our partnership would return to the way it was before and life could continue as normal. Do you agree?"

She was taking deep breaths after the speech. She hadn't stuttered once, said all she'd wanted to say, and only hoped that Booth could approach this as logically as she had. She looked up from her coffee for the first time. Booth was leaning against the counter, unmoving. His mouth was turned down in a slight frown, and his eyes were considering her the way he might consider a difficult crossword puzzle. A pregnant pause filled the room. Finally he spoke.

"That sounded very well thought out, planned, precise, and logical. And I'm gonna have to go ahead and call bullshit," he hadn't moved, hadn't said much compared to Brennan's speech.

"I'm sorry?" Brennan was confused. She had expected about a hundred different responses from Booth other than the one she got.

"Well first of all you were right about the protection thing. I don't like seeing you hurt, in any way. I don't like it when a serial killer almost murders you. I don't like the scar you're going to have on your arm. I don't like when you have so much as a headache from working too late. I don't like when you go out on dates and come back disappointed. As a matter of fact I like that less than when you come back from a date happy, which believe me, is not something I'm a big fan of. Second, how dare you for one second think that this is just a _business_ partnership," he said the word with disdain. His voice was growing steadily higher, though it wasn't necessarily fueled by anger. HE was away from the counter now, his hands placed on the table in front of Brennan's seat, "I am _always_ there for you. When you need someone to stay up with you to work on the case because, no matter how much you refuse to admit it, you hate being at the office by yourself at night. When you couldn't get a tree into prison for Christmas, Parker and I sat outside in the snow with a tree so you could have a real Christmas with your family. And I don't do those things because I have to, or because of some business partnership. I do them because you are my closest friend, and I would do anything for you. So last night wasn't me taking advantage of anything. I didn't look for an opening. I did what I did because I love you," Booth decided that while his speech may not have sounded as orderly and articulate as Brennan's, he had gotten his point across quite clearly.


	10. Chapter 10

_Oh dear God what did I just do?_ Booth and Brennan stood on opposite sides of her table, a long silence stretching out between them. He had just done it. 3 years of partnership had led him to love Brennan. Totally, completely. He loved her. But he had never admitted it. That was the sort of thing that ruined partnerships. _Say something, say something, say something. _He doubted Bones could read minds but it was worth a shot.

Brennan was shocked. That wasn't the word for it. Her mind had just been hit by a sledgehammer. She wasn't used to being stunned into silence like this. She had a billion responses buzzing through her head, so she simply grabbed the first and most obvious one.

"What?"

"You heard me Brennan. Please, don't make me say it all over again," Booth could barely look her in the eyes. He had told her he loved her like he was angry with her. No wonder she was confused. But he didn't have a great plan laid out here. He was winging it in the truest sense of the term. Unfortunately he was coming out of it sounding like a jackass. "I love you. And you either feel the same way or you don't."

"But…you can't. We're partners. And friends too. I'm sorry if I acted as though we weren't. But you can't…we can't…It just doesn't work this way. We're close. We spend a lot of time together. Maybe that closeness is just something you're confusing with love," even she didn't believe it while she was saying it.

"Look, you want love in some scientific definition right? The way it could be measured in a lab? Well I'm not sure that way exists. But I did hear it like this once: Love for someone else is the quality of your life being better for having him or her in it. And the strength of that love is determined by how _much_ better. That's as close to a scientific break down as I can get without getting into endorphins and brain signals. Now if that definition is true, which I believe it is, then I can say, unequivocally, that I love you," and those words Booth did believe. Brennan simply sat there, contemplating. Finally she spoke.

"Why now? Why not last year? Or the year before that? Why did you tell me this right here, in my kitchen of all places?"

"Because until now I was secure with our routine. You were always there. Every assignment, every week, you were there. Even when you were in a relationship I held on to our partnership like a trump card. But two weeks ago I realized that God doesn't give a shit about my trump card. I could still lose you any time, partnership or not. So I decided it was time to get busy living my life, and that life had always been better for having you in it. You are the best part of my day. I look forward to work because you'll be there. I look forward to lunches, because I spend them with you. Hell, I even look forward to our appointments with Sweets because it is one hour I am guaranteed to spend sitting and talking with you. And all of those actives are better for having you in them. That's love. And that's why I love you," he was looking her in the eyes now. There was no anger there. No resentment. Just pure, undiluted hope. Brennan rose to her feet, but didn't move to leave. She didn't move at all once she stood. Her eyes had the look of solving some difficult math problem. Then a wave of relief seemed to go over them as though the problem had been solved. She spoke slowly, but with conviction.

"_Love for someone else is the quality of your life being better for having him or her in it," _she quoted Booth verbatim, and he nodded, "_And the strength of that love is determined by how much better,"_ again Booth nodded, "Well…in that case, I love you too." She said it simply, like some fact that had always been so obvious there was no point in stating it.

"You do?" Booth was stunned.

"Yes…I accepted the parameters of your explanation, weighed out my life so to speak, and I can honestly say that I love you too." As cold and scientific as it sounded, there was true warmth in Bone's eyes and voice. "Of course this is going to cause a whole slue of complications with work and we'll need to discuss-" her statement was cut short as Booth closed the distance between them and pressed his mouth into hers. There was power in the kiss, no edge or anger, just raw power.

He had no idea what those three words would do to him when they came from her mouth. There was a hurricane of emotions going through his mind. He was ecstatic that she had said them, confused because he hadn't expected her to, suspicious that it had all been too easy, and after that came a big who gives a shit feeling that led him to kiss her. His large hands framed either side of her face while her twined themselves behind his neck. He deepened the kiss, nipping at her lower lip till a small groan escaped her mouth and she opened it to him. His tongue traced patterns along her lips as he slid his hands down her back, to her legs, and pulled her upward with ease. Her legs instinctively wrapped themselves around him and she felt her back get pressed into her kitchen wall. A wave of adrenaline filled them both, along with a wave of something else, something they often ignored in their more civilized moments…lust.

There would be long talks over where this would lead later. They would have to completely reevaluate their relationship, personally and professionally. They would cover every inch of ground that they were happily skipping over at that moment. But all of that could come later. For once they were doing exactly what they wanted to, exactly what they needed to.

"Bedroom, now," Brennan's muffled voice came through the kiss. Booth was two steps ahead of her. Never breaking the kiss, but at least bothering to open his eyes, he took them from the kitchen to her bedroom in all of two seconds. He placed her on the bed and covered her body with his own. His hands were everywhere: in her hair, along her ribs, raising goosebumps behind her neck. He was everywhere and she still couldn't get enough of him.

Cautiously, and very tentatively, Booth traced his fingers long the hem of Brennan's shirt. She responded by pressing herself more firmly into him. He pulled the shirt up slowly, breaking the kiss for the first time to pull it over her head. He looked at her body the way a starving man might look at a feast. Her abdomen was tight and built from her karate classes. Her small but proud breasts were covered by a black lace bra. Her skin was the color of cream, and as Booth placed a series of kisses from her neck to her belly button, he decided she tasted of the sweetest cream too. She was working on pulling his shirt from his body as well but was having a tough time of it. Booth decided to help her out, shedding his shirt and tossing it on top of hers. Her eyes looked at him, a mixture of lust and concern. Where her skin was smooth and unblemished, his was dotted with scars. Some were from bullets while others appeared to be healed over cuts. His ribs had been broken and healed many times over. His muscled chest was rising and falling quickly. He leaned forward again, this time placing small gentle kisses on either side of her face.

"Brennan," he said, his voice barely a whisper, "I love you."

"I know Booth. I love you too."


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Well here it is. I'm SO sorry it took so long but I didn't really know how to end it. I don't know if this is a satisfying ending, but it's the only one I could be happy with. It was either this or keep writing about Booth and Bones until they're 70. I really want some final reviews on it if you don't mind. Either for just this chapter or the story as a whole. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. So here it is: The Grand Finale.**

It was like nothing either of them had felt before. Brennan could feel Booth on top of her, feel just that little bit of weight he was holding back while still pressing his body into hers. Booth could feel her nipples graze his chest, and could feel the softness of her skin. He kissed her as passionately as he could, trying to say everything he felt through it. He was worried that if he stopped, even for a moment, Brennan might come to her senses and realize she was making some mistake, that she belonged with someone else.

His mouth made a trail of kisses along her neck, across her should, and down her left arm. He got to the edge of the cut and could feel the heat that came off of it, just a few degrees warmer than the rest of her skin, like most wounds felt. He placed a set of soft kisses along the cut, all the way to her wrist, barely touching her each time. He held her wrist to his face and breathed her in, as if trying to remember every possible detail in that moment. She moaned softly, drawing his attention back to the rest of her body. His hands made their way over her chest, gently pressing and pulling, making her squirm. "Booth…" she breathed his name into his mouth. It was amazing what she was feeling. Every sense was heightened. Her hands ran patterns over his back, feeling every scar and memorizing them. Her fingers raised goose bumps where they grazed his neck. She felt his hands slide farther down her body, and he breath hitched as he slowly, reverently even, slipped his hand between her legs. Her breath hitched and she pressed herself into him even more. It was all too much for her.

"Booth…now…" was all she could get out. As slowly as he had been taking things, a part of his male psyche knew when to pick up the pace. He paused only long enough to remove his boxers, and then they were completely exposed to each other, completely vulnerable. She trailed her hand along his member and pulled him gently forward. He pressed against her and paused. He looked her dead in the eyes, no fear or apprehension, just pure affection. He was trying to tell her so much in that one look and she understood it all. He took her mouth in his at the same time he plunged into her. She felt as if the whole world had stopped spinning. There was too _much_: the feeling of his lips on hers, the feeling of him inside of her, the feeling of total and utter happiness. She didn't believe in karma or meditation or anything like that, but in that moment she felt utterly at peace with the rest of the world. Booth hadn't moved again. He was letting her adjust before slowly pulling out. He was almost all the way out before her leaned back in again. His lips never stopped touching some part of her. Every part of him that touched her was electric.

This was what he had always talked about. Brennan finally got it now. So close they were almost one. A miracle. She suddenly had the feeling that she would never be closer to another human being as she was at that moment. It was with that realization that she let out a final groan and came. Fire erupted behind her eyes and her fingers dug into Booth's back. She wanted it to go on forever. It was amplified only by Booth's eruption. He was pressed into her completely, flowing into her with complete abandon. It was this kind of happiness that people would kill for.

As they came down from their peaks, they didn't move, aside from they heavy rise and fall of their chests. Each breath pressed their bodies back into one another. After a minute or so Booth finally pulled out and rolled beside her. His hands never came away from her body. He thought she'd never looked more beautiful. Her hair was splayed wildly in cascades around her face. Her clear blue eyes stared into his, with no pause or thought. Her body covered with a gleam of sweat, making her sparkle in the light beside them. It was she that spoke first,

"That was…" she couldn't seem to formulate a full sentence.

"Yeah," Booth concurred. He paused for a minute, as if picking out the words he was going to use next, "I keep waiting for it all to come crashing down you know?"

"Actually I don't," she replied.

"I either expect to wake up from one of the greatest and most realistic dreams off all time, or for you to jump up and leave. Or maybe to start saying it was a mistake, and that you regret it and never want to let it happen again. I don't know which would be worse: to have you and lose you or to have never had you in the first place." There was total honesty in his voice. They were in that place that all couples know. Surrounded by this after sex glow, when you are completely at ease with each other and the rest of the world. You can say anything and believe that it will be alright.

Her hands were tracing light patterns across his chest.

"I know what you mean," she finally replied, "Half of me wants to go back and pretend that never happened, so that nothing would have to change. But the much more vocal half of me knows that going back to before would never be as good as this. I like this."

"So do I," Booth concurred, enjoying the feeling of her hands on him. He took her hand in his and held it over his heart. "So what do we do?" The question made Brennan pause.

"Well…" she started, "I guess that we fall asleep knowing that the other one will be here when we wake up, and then we face whatever we have to. We can't go back to before, not even if we wanted to. We just have to face it together."

"Sounds…logical. I like it." Booth let a smile spread across his face. "I like you."

"Good," replied Brennan, "Because I think I like you too." Their hands were still clasped together when they fell asleep.


End file.
